Painting pictures with a camera. David Dingwell showcases evolving work at Canton show

CANTON − David Dingwell had hit a creative block with his photography.

The local attorney, known for his project documenting the exteriors of all 88 courthouses in Ohio, as well as moody, rich landscape and cityscape imagery, was suddenly yearning for change and new inspiration.

"I think I was not getting the same enjoyment from what I was doing," Dingwell recalled. "It just felt sort of like the same old thing. I wasn't growing."

Canton artist Tim Carmany offered a suggestion: Try taking photos of people, not buildings or architecture.

Carmany, owner of The Hub Art Factory, even recommended three potential subjects.

So Dingwell began taking photos in a studio setting with controlled lighting. The photo subject was the canvas. Emotion, clothing and even body paint presented a plethora of possibilities.

Moments into the first session in late 2021, Dingwell was excited about taking pictures again.

"I can't explain it," the Massillon resident said. "It was a feeling of, 'This is amazing.' I love it, and even if the photos turn out terrible, I love working with people."

Dingwell, an attorney and partner with Plakas Mannos, has evolved as a visual artist since taking his first photos of the outside of the Stark County Courthouse around 2012, which ultimately led to a joint exhibition with artist Su Nimon in 2017 as well as recognition across the state.

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His intriguing range of portraiture has culminated with a joint art exhibition with Melissa Goff. "Coalescence" opens 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday at Patina Arts Centre, 324 Cleveland Ave. NW, in downtown Canton. The unveiling coincides with March First Friday activities.

The exhibition continues until April 1 during gallery hours of noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Photographer and painter make unique portraits together

Goff, a local painter who has previously exhibited work in group shows and individually at Patina, has assisted and worked with Dingwell on some of his most imaginative and striking portraits.

"For this show we discussed keeping the subject matter similar," she said. "I have definitely made an effort at bringing elegance to my pieces, which is a word I'd use to describe much of his work, not mine. I tried to use his work as inspiration in a way that whispers cohesiveness in some, and screams it in others."

"For some of the pieces, I'd like the viewer to get the impression that I painted a model from one of his shoots," Goff added. "Others, I'd like them to think he photographed a model for one of my impasto (a style of painting) portraits ... and who's to say that's not what we've done."

More:Melissa Goff evolves from hobby painter to first Canton solo show at Patina Arts opening

Dingwell's day job is representing clients in probate court and estate cases. Taking photos began when his father gave him a Kodak Instamatic camera at age 8.

But his interest in photography faded by the time he was in high school. After his dad gifted him a digital camera in 2010, he explored the hobby again. Passion for photos, however, didn't bloom until the courthouse project.

Painting a portrait with a camera

Dingwell's portraiture work began conventionally before he got especially creative.

Heidi Fawver, a Canton-based artist, is among the subjects who agreed to let Goff cover their faces artfully with water-based hypoallergenic paint.

Working with Dingwell and Goff simultaneously was both a blast and collaborative, Fawver said.

"Melissa's work with paint is always so thought provoking and beautiful, so I had full faith that whatever she was to paint on my face would be a masterpiece," she said.

"The emotion that picture pulls out is so diverse and raw, all because three brains collided and wanted to make a vibrant breathing work of art together.

"Being able to be in front of the lens as the subject matter was empowering and poetic," Fawver added. "A lot of feelings came through during the shoot."

Learning new techniques and skills were required for portraiture, said Dingwell, who used a full frame, mirrorless Nikon Z7II camera for the shoots. "Lighting is everything," he said of both quality and placement.

'Quiet' photographer makes vibrant art

Dingwell's vivid, imaginative photography belies his measured, reserved demeanor.

More:Canton Attorney Lends Shutterbug Skills to County Courthouses

"People complain I'm too quiet," he said. "So for me, this has been maybe creating emotion and displaying it through others and trying to capture that on each person I come across to try to find that quality about a person that transcends through a lens."

Dingwell on his portraiture: 'I've got an easy job'

Dingwell's urban architecture photography and his portrait work have been recognized at juried art shows.

"I consider myself very much learning," said Dingwell, a graduate of the University of Akron School of Law. "I don't know what a pro photographer is; I feel like I have made progress."

Most rewarding is "working with people who are incredibly creative and incredibly hard working and who want the image to be better than I do ... and to be the best they can on film," he said.

"I've got an easy job," Dingwell continued. "To me, all I have to do is make sure my light is working and the camera is working and I have the right composition. Everything else is controlled by what the subject has done to control their appearance, wardrobe, makeup and hair."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Attorney David Dingwell makes wild, vibrant art with portraiture